Students enrolled in hotel management degree-awarding programs will take courses in general business management. These classes may include finance and accounting, which cover the methods used to record and report a hotel’s revenue and expenditures. Finance courses may also cover strategic financial planning, including business expansion and cost-cutting strategies. Inventory management and quality control courses teach students how to control costs and manage equipment and supplies. Some hotel management programs may also require students to take macroeconomics and microeconomics; these classes give a fundamental overview of basic economic principles. Coursework in this department can also include statistics as a prerequisite, as much of accounting and finance relies on grounding in statistical analysis. Students may also need to take a course in business writing.
Future hotel managers will oversee staff that could number into the hundreds. Courses geared toward human resources focus on hiring, dismissal, training and managing personnel. These classes can also include a communications component; in some programs, such as the bachelor of science in hotel administration at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), students must take at least one communications course to learn how to effectively convey ideas in presentations and writing. Students will also take courses in labor law and business law as it applies to managing employees in the hotel and hospitality industry.
Hospitality coursework focuses on the specific principles, knowledge and skills required to operate a lodging operation. These classes form the core of a student’s coursework for the degree. Sample courses might include facilities management, which teaches the basics of operating a large or small-scale hotel, such as hiring and supervision of contractors, purchasing and repair of equipment and maintenance and security, fire and police procedures. Hospitality marketing courses focus on promoting and advertising a resort or hotel in response to changing demographics and tourism trends. Students will also take courses in tourism, which focus on the dynamics of the tourist industry, how to negotiate with tour operators and how to plan events. Computer-related coursework may focus on general applications needed to run a hotel and also teach the major booking and reservation systems used by the hotel industry.
Advanced courses in hotel management focus on operating specific types of venues as well as on-site operations such as restaurants and bars. Hotels in many states and countries now offer casino gambling, golf courses, swimming pools, fitness clubs and spas, nightclubs and amusement parks. Programs in hotel management can offer coursework to deal with the specialized management, inventory control and human resources skills needed to run these operations. For instance, UNLV offers coursework in casino marketing, accounting and the mathematics of table, card and slot games. The Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics at Kansas State University lets students take an internship in golf course management. Classes in food and beverage service and management will prepare future hotel managers to oversee operations in on-site dining venues.